Tag Archives: Mets Gm

Mets fans might have celebrated hollow victories over the weekend when the Yankees and Phillies were eliminated from the postseason on consecutive nights, the final out in each game coming on a called third strike. Alex Rodriguez one night; Ryan Howard the other.

Of course, rooting against the Yankees and Phillies is futile work, as it does nothing toward the improvement of the Mets.

However, the most important development lately has been the narrowing of the GM candidates to Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson.

Byrnes will interview with ownership, including Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, today, and Alderson will be on stage tomorrow. Both are highly regarded and will inherit a team with a high payroll and a myriad of issues.

Neither will be able to turn the program around in a year, and such a promise hasn’t been made by either in the first round of interviews.

Both GM candidates indicate Wally Backman is on their list of prospective managerial candidates, which parallels the Wilpon’s thinking. That is not to say Backman is a given, but he will get an honest shot. There are several things about Backman that concern me, most is the perception he is the Wilpon pick and he’s being forced on to the new general manager. My preference for Backman is to be promoted to bench coach and work under an experienced manager.

The new GM will inherit a team slightly below .500, meaning there is reason to be optimistic about improvement should all the pieces fall into place, notably the healthy returns of Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran, continued development from Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, and an encore from RA Dickey. The Mets aren’t void of talent, and improvement should occur, but they are still behind the Phillies and Braves, but those teams have their own issues.

A GM decision could be made as soon the off day following Game 2, which is a travel day in the World Series. As written here before, the GM candidates have their thinking on the manager, so that process should turn around rather quickly.

The first order of offseason business might night be conducted by assistant GM John Ricco and Jeff Wilpon, and that would be the re-signing of reliever Hisanori Takahashi. The Mets have until Oct. 31 to re-sign Takahashi, otherwise he can become a free agent.

Takahashi did everything the Mets asked of him last season as a starter or in a variety of bullpen roles, but the left-hander prefers to start. The Mets could promise him a chance to compete for a starting job in spring training or they could overpay to keep him in the pen.

Reportedly, Takahashi is seeking a two-year deal and he’s worth it based on what he did in 2010.

The Mets have a second interview scheduled this week for Sandy Alderson, who is the only candidate so far with a second interview planned. He is the front runner, and arguably the name with the most potential impact.

The Mets are asking about Texas’ Jon Daniels, who is a hot property, but Alderson has done it consistently and I believe would bring the highest degree of respectability to the organization. What the Mets need now is a fresh start, a sign of legitimate change and Alderson provides that variable.

The Mets have said they’d like to wrap this up by the start of the World Series. After acting decisively right after the conclusion of the season we are closing in on three weeks. Other teams have already hired quality managers and the Mets need to do the same before the end of the month.

They need to show they have a plan in place and are heading in a positive direction to show their season ticket holders before renewals and whatever free agents they might have on their radar.

Fredi Gonzalez is the new manager of the Atlanta Braves, which didn’t take long. Eric Wedge is the manager of the Seattle Mariners.

Meanwhile, the Mets are still waiting to name their new general manager. They have a few more candidates to speak with, notably Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers once their playoff run is done. After watching them lose last night, you wonder how long that will be.

There will also be a second round of interviews with the finalists, so, we’re talking at least another 10 days. If they are lucky, it will be before the World Series. But, it could drag into November if the Rangers regroup and reach the World Series.

The high-profile managerial candidates could be gone by then, but that’s the risk the Wilpons took in deciding this route. And, it is a good route. The GM should name his own manager. That’s the prudent, sound way to go.

After years of the quick fix, I’m glad to see the Mets go through a complete interview process and get this done the right way as the general manager is far more important in the construction of a team than the manager.

I don’t see the Mets hiring Sandy Alderson plus Rick Hahn, as has been suggested. I believe the job is Alderson’s for the taking, which would enable him to help groom John Ricco to be his successor. I don’t think they’ll end up hiring one assistant GM (Hahn) when they won’t interview their current assistant GM. If they did, they’ll take a risk at losing Ricco.

Because of Logan White’s proficiency in scouting, I can see him joining Alderson.

Whomever, the Mets hire as their general manager, I’m beginning to think Wally Backman won’t be hired as their manager if the new guy has the autonomy the Wilpons have promised. I’ve seen several list of the top managerial candidates and Backman hasn’t been on any of them.

I keep hearing about Backman’s spit and fire, but he’s not the only fiery personality out there, and that’s not the primary quality in a manager. The ability to motivate isn’t confined to yelling and over turning the food spread in the clubhouse. There’s also game management and dealing with player personalities.

Backman has not proven he can be that on a major league level, and with a team in transition such as the Mets a veteran presence is the best option. Like the general manager, I’d prefer a manager with a track record, one who could groom Backman by bringing him on as a bench coach.

This isn’t to say Backman won’t eventually become an accomplished major league manager, but I don’t believe this is the right time. There’s still too much for Backman to learn, and a rebuilding situation like the Mets isn’t the best place to start. I keep hearing about Backman’s fire and the ties to the 1986 championship team, but that sounds more and more like a gimmick hire.

I just don’t see a new general manager tying his success to an unproven manager.

In the beginning we heard there were 32, but there are only a half-dozen or so serious candidates for the Mets’ GM job.

Reportedly, Gerry Hunsicker, Terry Ryan and Pat Gillick, all of whom would have been a solid choice, have said they aren’t interested in working for the Mets. The Chicago White Sox’s Rick Hahn and Sandy Alderson, among others, are interested in working in New York.

Hahn is the Young Lion with a bright future; Alderson is the accomplished professional.

Hahn is potential, he’s never run his own ship. Alderson is proven, having developed the Athletics and Padres, and has an impeccable reputation in the sport.

Alderson, Hahn, Allard Baird and Josh Byrnes are expected to interview next week.

Of the four, Alderson will command the most money, but I think he’s worth it. Alderson is the guy I want the Mets to snare. He’s an accomplished winner and that’s exactly what the Mets need right now. If Alderson wants the job after the interview, the Mets should go for it.